Traveling crane



June 23, 1970 D. s. ROBERTSON ET AL TRAVELING CRANE Filed April 25, 1968 IDecLn, 6. Qober-L'fn. Carma/2 feflacfiu'on,

a I wgwvw (2W United States Patent Olfice 3,516,555 Patented June 23, 1970 3,516,555 TRAVELING CRANE Dean S. Robertson and Carroll V. Jackson, Lima, Ohio, assignors to Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 724,073 Int. Cl. B66c 23/42 US. Cl. 212-140 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An auxiliary traveling crane for use atop a transport vehicle is described, in which a boom and upright stanchion are mounted on a carriage which is captively retained by a horizontal track having an overhanging downturned end portion, wherein the carriage is moved to the downturned portion and the stanchion folded vertically downward and secured for transport.

The present invention relates to auxiliary cranes for use with transportable equipment, and in particular to a folding crane structure which may be collapsed for transport.

In the erection and use of heavy construction equipment, there is need for a crane or other lifting device which is usable to lift and swing loads in the immediate vicinity of the equipment. In the case of equipment which must be transportable for highway or railroad travel, a crane or other lifting device is required which may be dismantled or collapsed in some way to lower the overall height of the equipment for travel and to secure it against damage.

In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a traveling crane for use with transportable equipment in which the crane may be collapsed and secured in a folded condition for transport. It is intended that the crane of the present invention be mounted for horizontal travel on top of the transport vehicle, while allowing the principal upright portions of the crane to be folded downward and secured for transport.

In greater detail, the present invention has as an object the provision of a captively retained traveling crane having an upright stanchion and carriage support which is movable on a track into a tipped position from which the crane stanchion may be further lowered by folding into a downturned position, and thereafter secured by a cable to a fitting on the transport vehicle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a traveling crane and transport vehicle constructed according to the present invention, with alternative positions of the crane carriage and stanchion being shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the vehicle and crane of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 1, with the crane stanchion and carriage being shown secured for transport in the folded position; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the crane carriage and stanchion base, taken in the plane 4-4 of FIG. 2.

Although the invention will be described in connection with a particular exemplary embodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to so limit the invention, but it is instead intended to cover all alternative and equivalent constructions as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a crane constructed according to the present invention which is mounted atop a transport vehicle 11. The transport vehicle in the exemplary embodiment is a portable dust collector for use with a field-erected asphalt mixing plant, but the invention is equally applicable to other uses in which a traveling crane is required in connection with relatively large, heavy, field-erected equipment. The vehicle 11 is mounted for transportation on wheels 12.

The crane 10 is composed of a boom 13, an upright vertical stanchion 15, and a movable carriage 16. A pair of parallel horizontal rails 17 is mounted atop the vehicle 11 in a front-to-back direction, with the carriage 16 engaging the rails 17 with dolly wheels 18. It may be seen that the rails 17 form a track which guides and supports the carriage 16 over its range of travel.

As a principal feature of the invention, the carriage 16 is captively retained by the rails 17 which form the track so that the carriage 16 and attached stanchion 15 may be tipped downward at one end of the track. For this purpose, each rail 17 is formed as a U-shaped channel, with the open ends of the channels facing sideways to the vehicle 11, away from each other. The dolly wheels 18 are of a diameter which fits snugly within the channel section of the rails 17 to prevent them from becoming disengaged. The carriage 16 is thus retained for sliding movement along the length of the track, but cannot be lifted off or tipped in a manner which is not positively guided by the rails 17. At one end of the track, the rails 17 turn downward, defining a downturned section 20 which is additionally supported by braces 21, 22. Each rail 17 is provided with a positive stop or closure 23 at its end to prevent the carriage 16 from sliding out at the end of its travel.

Further in accordance with the invention, the crane stanchion 15 is foldable with respect to the carriage 16, thus allowing it to assume a vertical downward position for transport, as shown in FIG. 3. The carriage 16 incorporates stanchion mounting platform 24 at the mid point of the carriage 16, supported on cross braces 25 which run the width of the carriage. Flanking the stanchion platform 24 are two upright pivot supports 26 carrying a pivot shaft 27 at their upper ends. The stanchion 15 itself is carried in a stanchion post 28, wherein it is pivoted for rotating movement about a vertical axis in order to swing the boom 13 in any desired direction. The stanchion post 28 also includes a pair of pivot supports 30 which cooperate with the pivot supports 26 of the carriage and are drilled to receive the pivot shaft 27. Although the stanchion post 28 is normally secured to the stanchion mounting platform 24 by bolts 31, the removal of the bolts allows the stanchion post 28 and stanchion 15 to be hinged backwards on the pivot shaft 27 to a folded position as shown in FIG. 3.

The crane 10 is normally rigged for use through a plurality of pulleys including two stanchion pulleys 32 and a boom pulley 33. A boom cable 35 serves to raise and lower the boom 13 through operation of a hand crank winding mechanism 36, while a lifting cable 37 raises or lowers objects suspended from the boom 13 through a similar hand-cranked winding means 38. Another cable 40 attaches to the carriage 16 and is controlled by the winding means 41 for drawing the carriage 16 along the track of the rails 17, or for raising or lowering it into position in the downturned section 20 of the track. Each of the various winding means 36, 38, 41 is preferably equipped with a ratchet mechanism to allow the cable to be releasably retained at any desired rotational position of the winding mechanism.

In order to prepare the crane 10 for transport, the boom 13 is first dismantled, along with the boom cable 35 which is preferably wound onto its winding mechanism 36. With the boom removed, the carriage 16 is moved down the track to the downturned section 20 of the rails 17 and lowered into position by means of the cable 40 and its winding means 41. The bolts 31 are then removed, allowing the stanchion post 28 to hinge on the pivot shaft 27 and swing the stanchion 15 into the downward position. In this position a stanchion post abutment 42 on each of the stanchion post pivot supports 30 abuts a corresponding portion of the carriage pivot support 26 spaced at the same radius from the pivot shaft 27, thus furnishing a positive stop.

As another aspect of the invention, the folded stanchion 15 is rigidly secured to the vehicle 11 for transport by the use of one of the ratchet cable winding means 38. In this position, with the abutment 42 firmly seated against the corresponding portion of the carriage pivot support 26, the lifting cable 37 is withdrawn from its winding mechanism 38 to a sufficient extent to engage a fitting 43. In the illustrative embodiment, the fitting 43 consists of an eye which is engaged by a hook 45 at the end of the cable 37. Once attached, the stanchion 15 may be securely tightened into position merely by cranking the winding mechanism 38 and locking it in place with the ratchet.

The following is claimed as invention:

1. In combination with a transport vehicle carrying a horizontal track terminating in an overhanging downturned portion at one end of the vehicle, a traveling crane comprising a stanchion, a boom mounted on the stanchion, cable and pulley means for raising and lowering said boom and objects suspended therefrom, and a slidable carriage carrying the stanchion and boom, said carriage being captively retained on said track for movement over the horizontal length thereof and onto thedownturned portion of said tracks into a tipped position, and said carriage having hinge means for folding said stanchion into a vertical downward position about a horizontal hinge pivot axis transverse to the track when the carriage is in the tipped position.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said carriage and stanchion each have a limit stop and common radius from said hinge pivot, which limit stops abut when the stanchion is in the folded position.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 in which said cable and pulley means includes a stanchion pulley positioned at the upper extremity of the stanchion and having a cable engaging fitting mounted on the vehicle adjacent the folded position of the stanchion pulley and tensioning means for securing the cable to retain the stanchion in a folded position during transport.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 in which said tensioning means comprises a cable winding means and ratchet means for selectively locking the winding means in a selected position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,761,571 9/1956 Adams 21415 2,831,590 4/1958 Greenfield et al. 214302 2,836,308 5/1958 Lamb 214--15 3,052,365 9/1962 Cameron 21475 3,067,966 12/1962 Hicks 214-77 3,174,636 3/1965 Dempster et al 214302 3,207,344 9/1965 Clar 214--302 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,294,637 4/ 1962 France.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner R. J. SPAR, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2l217, 46, 59 

